Disclaimers: See Chapter 1

Additional Note (Please Read): This tale is a companion with, Xena & Gabrielle: A Turn of Fate. If you haven't read both stories' chapters preceding this one, you should do so now. Thank you to my wonderful readers and Jinxie 2013. Also, a special shout out to Moregan25. Enjoy! :-)

The Conqueror & Ri

A Twist of Destiny

By Ahkiken

Chapter 38: Pedigree

Cassander barged into Alexander II's accommodating quarters, affrighting the three slaves who were loitering by the bedside. Noting them rising onto their feet in complaisance to his presence, he began gazing at the sole figure lying prone on the bed.

Shrugging off his astonishment to find Alexander still sleeping, he quizzed one of the servants, "Has he awaken at all today?"

"No, Governor." The thrall quickly rejoined. "Our Master was preoccupied throughout the night and early twilight with another, whom had left some candle-marks, prior to your arrival."

Moderately appeased from the information the slave bestowed, Cassander dismissed them, "Out, all of you."

Not wasting a moment, they rapidly exited the room, leaving him alone with Alexander. Cassander sauntered to the table that contained a decanter of ouzo. Grasping the handle of a cup, he filled it up with the anise-flavored, alcoholic beverage, proceeding to swallow the entire contents. Upon setting the vessel down, he gaited to the snoozing male.

Standing over him, Cassander bent to his ear, blaring, "Get up, now!"

Alexander instantly rolled onto his back to flee from the stentorian, irksome noise which had awoken him. Bluish irises were squinted as he finally recognized Cassander.

Massaging his eyes whilst adjusting to the rude awakening, Alex yawned, asking, "What do you want? You interrupted a very peaceful dream, and I doubt Hypnos will grant me an encore."

Cassander ignored Alexander's blabbering about blissful fantasies. "Arise, Alex. We have to talk, and you've nearly slept the whole day."

"Ah, if talking is the case, I need a drink." Opening his pupils fully, the younger Macedonian took in the surroundings of the chamber, happy that Cassander didn't see the lover he'd brought to bed. "Where are the servants?"

"I told them to depart. We have pressing issues to discuss privately."

Wrapping the sheet around his nude waist, Alexander lifted an empty goblet off of the adjacent desk and held it upwards to Cassander, suggesting that he pour the aperitif. The Governor accepted the proffered item, then threw it against the wall.

"That was uncalled for." Alexander said nonchalantly, rubbing his scruffy hair.

"We have no Cronus for games." Cassander almost shouted, fighting to stifle his rage. "I had an interesting conversation with the Chancellor."

Alex perked up immediately. "Anent to me becoming king?"

"No." The answer caused Alex's frown. "The subject never got underway."

"Why in Tartarus not, Cassander!"

"Because he preempted me by inquiring if I had anything to do with the raids in Kish." He disclosed, making Alexander wide-eyed.

"I knew it was a terrible idea to pillage a location that is in propinquity to Babylon." Alex whispered, kneading his forehead in irritation. "Given your history with his father, you should've heeded my caution that Antigonus II would pinpoint you as the instigator."

"Silence." Cassander sneered the order, not wanting their secret to become revealed to anyone. "I apprised the Chancellor that Macedonia had no handling in Babylon's travail, and their woes were unknown to us until now."

"Do he believe you?" Alex urged.

"I remain breathing."

"So that would be a yes?" Alexander pressed.

Cassander tolerated the annoying question. "That would be a yes."

Alex arose off of the bed and, procuring a different cup, he poured himself some ouzo, sipping it slowly while in consternation from what Cassander imparted. The plot to plunder Kish, resultantly to weaken King Antigonus' troops and resources, had begun to look like a foolish decision in retrospect. Alas, the Chancellor became privy to the scheme, and whether the Regent trusted the Governor of Macedon or not, the plausibility of the Realm's armies getting involved was a real scenario that definitely could happen.

"We must withdraw the mercenaries from the country." Alex quietly averred.

"Are you insane." Cassander deprecated. "Think, Alexander. To cease the attacks on Kish will only alert Meleager to us. An army would be sent to Macedonia, hence the execution of you and me."

Dashing his fright of actually dying, Alexander sat down on the bedding again. "What's our next move?"

"After this damned tribute ceremony is concluded, I want you to journey back to Aegae, sans delay. Take care of all the government's affairs 'til my return."

Cassander's elucidation puzzled him. "Whilst I'm in the capital of Macedon, where will you be?"

"I'll be accompanying Ming Tien to Chin." He responded, knowing Alex wouldn't be fond of that particular course of action.

Alexander slammed his own goblet on the floor, spilling the remnant light-brown liquid. "Ming Tien!? Why the fuck are you dealing with that Centaur's piece of shit!"

"You vexing fool..." Weary of stomaching Alexander's obtuse behavior much longer, Cassander advanced very closely to him, rhetorically querying, "Do you want to rule your own domain, or stay a puppet for the Conqueror?"

Alexander despised getting chastised by the individual who wasn't exclusively his guardian, but a father-figure to him, too. "Yes, Cassander, I covet to become king of Macedonia... However, must Ming Tien be a part of whatever brilliant stratagem you have in mind?"

"Ming Tien has aspirations to reclaim a prestigious title that the Lord of the Realm will never cede to him also, Alex. Wherefore, he is more pliable to further our goals." Cassander professed, pulling back to stare into Alexander's orbs. "Just like the General you'd spent the night with; Nale has a role in this as well. Your slaves had enlightened me of the fact that he'd entertained you into the early morning."

The blonde-haired man didn't allow his surprise to show. He'd assumed erroneously that Cassander had no knowledge of their nightly engagement, and was now thoroughly aware he would have to share everything his newest lover evinced to him.

Preparing to tell the Governor all he was cognizant of, Alex had evil ruminations in his head for the snitching chattels, 'I am gonna beat the Tartarus out of them!'

{C&R}

Preceding Iona's departure and flippant reprimand, regarding sitting on the table in lieu of a chair, the adolescent had gleaned delight in the lively topics that her friends initiated. She'd guffawed at the cook's vocal recollections of past boyfriends whose kisses were similar to dead fishes. When the recent cropped-blonde mumbled her acquiescence to the allegation, the teen became thunderstruck and chuckled harder; she wasn't knowledgeable of Ri partaking in such intimate activities.

Eventually, Iona had to attend her classes, but she'd announced her glee for having a jovial Cronus with them, and reminded the petite storyteller that she would stop by her chambers to appraise the new clothes Enya dropped off. She couldn't wait to probe her about the mysterious kissing sessions either. Beyond the teenager's exit, it was late into the evening, and the main two women inside the royal kitchen were deriving profound joy from each other's company.

A couple of hours ago, Minya commanded the kitchen workers to ready dinner whilst she and Gabrielle conversed as they ate the meal she'd served. Albeit, she did majority of the chatting, because the pretender was stuffing her face with the variety of delicacies offered. Lingering on a warship for a month, the Amazon's regular diet consisted of rice, assorted seafood, and lemons. Now she could consume different foods that was denied to her for a long time.

"We don't have a lot of moments by ourselves, Ri, but I'm gladdened you and Iona's friendship had survived that fiasco many weeks previously."

"Mm-hmm." The ravenous bard hummed, listening and maintaining her consumption.

"Not trying to ruin the airy atmosphere, nonetheless, after Iona insulted you, referring to your unknown pedigree, and me to a lesser extent for being raised by farmers, I delivered a strong castigation to her. So hopefully nothing like that will happen again, especially to you and your esoteric history. Oh, and if she belittles your haircut, let me know because I'll jump on her tail." Minya smirked humorously, giving her a wink.

Smiling in agreement, Gabrielle resumed her eating, attentive of the fresh illumination Minya had unfurled. She wouldn't had guessed in a million lifetimes that Ri's past was shrouded in mystery, nor Iona's abjection to it. This additional notification opened tons of inquiries.

'Does the Conqueror have any notion where Ri's from? How did she come to be discovered and live in Corinth? Is her name truly Ri, or...God, this is scrumptious!' Chewing on the peppered potatoes, Gabrielle's querying thoughts got usurped.

"Slow down, Ri. You have been munching on something since coming here and are gonna pop." Minya stated.

"Sorry." Gabrielle giggled, covering a mouthful of fried hare. "You've seasoned this perfectly."

Minya displayed a mocked demur. "Well, of course. I am the pivotal cook, ain't I?"

"You deserve it. I should've known you were an excellent cooker." Gabrielle extolled absent-mindedly.

"Ri, you always eat my prepared courses." Minya presented a baffled grin. "More today than usual, though."

"I had missed breakfast." Savoring the tasty meat on a thankful palate and kicking herself for forgetting her situation for a minute, Gabrielle sucked the greasy salt off of her fingers, musing, 'I wish Xena would add cooking to her many skills.'

And akin to a gusty wind blowing the seedlings of developing dandelions, the bard's mood vanished. While she relaxed and chose to have a jubilant reunion with Minya, the Warrior Princess was probably distressed over what had occurred 'cause of the Omphalos shards. Thus invoking a promise from Xena to preserve her life till their disunity ended, Japa's fate was lolled in limbo as well.

'Xena is alright.' She mentally reaffirmed faith in the blue-eyed woman, losing her gluttonous appetite. 'She'll persevere and get us through this.'

Minya watched Gabrielle set the utensil on the plate next to the half-eaten edible, as a somber countenance marred her cheerful features. "Ri, what's wrong?"

The Samurai wiped her hands on a napkin, knowing she would have to leave soon. Gabrielle relished seeing Minya, but she had dallied all afternoon and part of the evening, shelving her reconnaissance of the castle.

"This repast was magnificent, Minya." The Amazon smiled her gratitude. "Notwithstanding, I've overstayed longer than I'd intended, and have to get going."

"Hold on, before you go, can I ask you something?" The cook propositioned.

"You already di..." She withheld the aged-old joke, acceding after espying Minya's anxious appearance. "Okay."

"Thanks...it's. It's kinda personal, is that fine?" Minya sought approval, hesitating until she received Gabrielle's nod. "At the Banquet Hall, I danced with the Jester, but...do you think he likes me, because I'm not too sure?"

"Um..." Gabrielle wasn't certain how to reply. "If he danced with you, that sounds like an affirmative to me."

"Come on, Ri, you were there." Minya confuted. "He hid under your table to elude me."

"He did?" Gabrielle was confused, imagining a jester's apparel. "Maybe he'd dropped his, um, uh...hat."

Minya became sullen. "He didn't drop his hat. Don't make excuses for him 'cause he's your friend, too."

'Damn it!' Gabrielle didn't have an inkling of what betide in the Hall, other than Ri's recital of Hercules' ninth labor and subsequent postponement to Athens. "He could be shy. I mean, y'all did dance together, Minya. Isn't that enough to advertise he's attracted to you?"

"Perhaps. Although, dancing seemed forced on his end." Minya pondered on the Hall's event. "I might be pushing my feelings on him too strongly."

The bard remembered decades back in her youth that drastically broadcasting amorous assiduities could have a negative effect on the pursuer. It was a terrible thing to lay your emotions bare to the person you wanted to love, merely to have them seemingly discard or acknowledge it on a whim, whilst nescient of somebody else's affections for you.

Glowering a tinge, she asserted, "Take it from me, you don't wanna do that."

Minya laughed lightheartedly, coaxing Gabrielle to feel as if she was being marginally teased.

"What experience do you have when it comes to..." Minya ceased her comment, noticing one of the kitchen's attendants using the wrong ingredients for a specific dessert. "Hey! Acroneos, what are you doing, man? I'll be a candle-drip, Ri."

The imposter nodded, eyeing the exasperated cook stand and march towards the fallible lackey. Tuning out Minya's angry reproach, Gabrielle's retention surged a sheepish memory.

'Ri may not have firsthand understanding, Minya. Howbeit, I do.'

Sheesh, why can't Joxer sleep somewhere else tonight? He's messing up everything I've arranged for Xena and I. The prospect of not making love is seriously daunting, and now I cannot concentrate on writing about what happened today. Gods, sexual frustration is jarring! I have felt these effects before, but it wasn't ever this prominent. Undoubtedly it's because I was incognizant of Xena's prowess in the sack. Discerning what she's capable of is heartening and depressing. Particularly when we've only done it once!

"This sucks!" I yell, tossing the scroll and quill on my bedroll that's adjoined to Xena's.

The bustling whetstone that is scrapping against steel halts, and the person I desire to touch me, who is wearing solely her leather battle-dress, gives unwanted advice, "Sometimes it is difficult to inscribe words on parchment, Gabrielle. I propone that you rest and try again tomorrow."

I dispel an evil opine for where she can shove her proposal and explicate, "Writing about the comedy of Eros is easy, Xena. Aggregating my thoughts is the problem."

"Hence, you should sleep." She retorts, restarting her ritual.

I fein a pleasant smile, rolling my eyes at her. Unsurprisingly, she neglects me with a snigger, and continues polishing her blade. I settle in the furs, wondering if our tryst still exist. Closing my eyelids to cogitate on a way to shake off aphrodisia for Xena, I fail to do so. Nevertheless, reopening them, I detect Joxer's gaze on me across the campfire. Laying down, he simply observes me, appearing lugubrious.

"Goodnight, Joxer." I express.

"Night, Gabby." Finally, he breaks visual contact and turns his back to me. "Night, Xena."

"Goodnight, Joxer." She reciprocates without disrupting her menstruations, but I'm concerned.

"Xena." I tap a muscular leg to grasp her attention.

"Hmm?"

"What's the matter with Joxer?" I silently prompt.

"He'll be all right." She utters, switching our discourse, "Baby Bliss surely toyed with our hearts, didn't he?"

"Yeah. Cupid's arrows made you besotted with Draco, and caused him to become enthralled with me. Even I was enchanted to be enamored with Joxer." I begin grinning in relief. "Glad our infatuations are defunct."

"Yup..." Xena agrees. "Well, Draco's the exception. He remains smitten for you."

"Yuck. Don't evoke my remembrance." I chide. "Poor guy. He's cursed to be in love with someone who'll never return it."

I view Xena descrying Joxer, and note her sympathetic mien. "Yeah...poor guy."

My curiosity begs to inquire what she is implying, but I tamper it and lay down. I impatiently await for Xena to put the sharpening stone away and sheath her sword so she can lie alongside me. Shortly, she does, and starts to crawl underneath her own furs, 'til I propound mine. Using hers in conjunction with my covers, we both get comfortable, yet falling asleep is far from my conscience.

"Goodnight, Gabrielle." The Warrior Princess declares, shutting her eyes, and temporarily derailing my hopes.

I move closer, facing her. "Xena?"

"Hmm?" She hums.

Kissing her tenderly, I claim, "I want you."

"That's nice." The remark preludes Xena's silence.

"Let's..." Blood propels through my arteries, making a rhythmical throbbing. "Can we...you know?"

Her cerulean spheres stays closed as she emits, "No."

No!

"Why?" I catechize, faintly. "I burn for you, Xena."

"Joxer will hear you."

"No, he won't." I peek at his immobile frame and recommence our murmuring discussion, "He's in Morpheus' realm."

"Your moans can grow in volume, Gabrielle." Xena doesn't relent. "He'll overhear it, and you do retain our pact, right?"

"How could I forget the verbal contract of our hushed affair." I am caustic.

Xena's optics open, piecing me with their fire. "What did you consent to?"

"We musn't expose ourselves. Secondly, monogamy isn't possible for us. If we keep that in prospective, we're free from expectations." I expound, familiar with Xena's dialogue on our first night together. "Withal, Xena, you predicated that there's so much more of intimacy to behold, whereas I haven't seen it. You've only loved me one time, and I'm beginning to get disappointed with this compromise."

"Joxer will hear you." She enunciates.

Turning from her, I expel a disgruntled sigh. Argh, why do I bother! Xena can be so maddening, it...

My internal tirade is interrupted when Xena jerks me securely onto her. A hand coats my mouth, subduing my loud gasp. Another trails my leg, coercing it to spread apart, ascending higher under my skirt to the apex of my thighs. Xena's extremity expertly and scrupulously frisk atop the loincloth, periodically hitting my veiled vaginal. Perpetually, to me, she does this, impelling my body to squirm, my sex to moisten, and my legs to expand farther.

As I feel the sticky fluid streaming and accumulating on my inner thighs, I dwell on refraining from groaning aloud, despite hearing myself release a sundry of multiple soughs. Afterwards of Xena keeping me in umpteen minutes of erotic expectancy, her groping hand wanders from the soaked undergarment and pushes my legs shut.

My amour licks my earlobe, susurrating, "Rub your thighs together."

I do what she says, mewling from the lovely, wet friction that is affecting my clitoris, as well as Xena's tongue on my neck. Anon, it's not enough, and I try seizing her wrist, craving her fingertips on me, but she resists.

"Xena." The name is muffled because of her palm sealing my articulation, though I'm assured she gets the gist of what I request.

Her mouth abandons my pulse point, and dark tresses cascades off my shoulder. I surmise she is checking on our dozing companion. My lover returns, and her lavish expertise is alacritous. She sucks the exterior of my ear, while simultaneously parting my legs once more for easy access to my copious, aqueous core.

"Gotta make this quick." Xena quietly pronounces, as two of her digits seeks me out. "Mm, from the feeling of your pussy's wetness, this'll be brisk."

Xena's foretelling is spot on, 'cause after several stokes between my slippery slit and taut bud of nerves, I'm jolting uncontrollably in her embrace from my speedy orgasm. Luckily, she suppresses my noisy climax until it subsides, and I ultimately become placid.

"Told you, Gabrielle, that you're strepitous. By the way, you bit me, too." Xena gingerly admonishes, abstracting her extremities off of me, beforehand of curiously scrutinizing the drenched hand that brought me pleasurable gratification. "Wow! I didn't know you could do that!"

"Do what?" Joxer grumbles in his dreams, snoring softly.

Contented that the 'Mighty' warrior hasn't awaken, the Warrior Princess gawks at me with bewilderment, whilst I nuzzle a muscular arm, finding sweet torpidity in Xena's clasp.

Gabrielle beamed from the reminiscence. She had no inclination that Xena was referring to her ability to ejaculate during the height of her sensual peaks. Considering it a potential fluke, the taller woman tried bringing the trim Amazon a second one on the following night when they were by themselves. The endeavor proved to be unavailing, and wouldn't occur again for many months, but the willing participant achieved orgasmic pleasure regardless. Also, they'd ascertained that the younger female could cum in succession from the same act and position.

Gradually, Gabrielle's sunny expression faltered, recalling the purpose behind the surgent flashback. Throughout their entire adventures after Bliss' blunder with his father's magical bow and arrows, Joxer had fallen hard for her. Moreover, she didn't care or have a clue how the incident affected him, nor the great love he had for her. Xena did, rarely shedding hints that Gabrielle hadn't ever comprehended. It pained her spirit for the way she, herself, would abuse him with physical and mental actions, all-the-while oblivious of Joxer's bashful antics to vaunt his ardency.

When she and her soul mate was revived by the spiritual aid of Eli, Joxer acquired courage from a psychologically unbalanced Xena to divulge his loving emotions to her. Thereon learning of his feelings, she was flabbergasted, then allayed by Ares' demanding interjection and Joxer's explanation of no strings attached to his avowal, allowing her to be taciturn. His averment was locked in her cognition, but Gabrielle's renewed life became engrossed on coming to terms with the Warrior Princess' miraculous pregnancy and the determination to protect her, while struggling to rebuild a solid bond, fearing its deterioration.

Joxer's statement of no special conditions or restrictions wasn't the case once Xena gave birth to a daughter nine months later, and the tyrannous Greek gods hunted them unmercifully to kill Xena's newborn. Consequently, Joxer got nipped by a poisonous sword, compelling the heroes to split up and avoid feasible danger to him. Choosing to meet at the mandrake tree for its curative resin, the primary target, Eve, appropriately traversed with her mother, and Gabrielle reluctantly travelled with the poisoned victim.

Whilst reposed, because of Joxer's ailment, he reintroduced his adulation for her, prodding why didn't she love him. Gabrielle clarified that she did, although it was just amity and not the fashion he wanted. At the conclusion of their ordeal and his sequent healing, she was close to being honest with Joxer, telling him the veracious reasons why they couldn't be romantically involved, but he cut her off prior to saying he understood, therefore accepting he'd never have her heart.

'That was the last we'd ever spoken of it.' Gabrielle sadly ruminated, hating that she couldn't identify the affectionate interest men had for her. 'I'm so moronic! I'd mimicked the exact mistake with Zicalus!'

"You're still here?" Iona questioned, entering the kitchen and plopping down in a seat athwart from Gabrielle, banishing the towhead's reflection.

"Yea." Gabrielle caressed her temple, increasingly becoming tired. "Minya and I was wiling away the hours."

"Hours? Where did you absorb that word from, Eramus?" Iona chuckled, surveying Minya addressing Acroneos.

"I... I meant candle-marks." Gabrielle corrected, compressing fingers onto her skull, and swaying unsteadily.

"Let's go evaluate your new wardrobe, 'cause Minya's fussing at one of the servants again, and you know that's gonna be longer than a candle-drip." Iona altered her notice from the riled cook to Gabrielle, losing the amused attitude. "Are you all right, Ri?"

"I don't feel... Have to..." Startlingly, her aqua orbs and head rolled completely back.

"Ri? That's not funny." Iona presumed she was playing a horrible joke, till the chair couldn't support the Amazon's leaning weight and gravity made her tumble backwards onto the floor.

Iona's shriek signaled the kitchen's occupants. Thereafter, she stood on her feet and rushed to the unconscious Samurai's side, moving the splintered pieces of the destroyed chair away from her. Minya, along with other attendants, raced over to inspect what was going on, witnessing the grisly scene.

"Oh, gods, Ri." Minya looked at Iona in shock. "How she... How did this..."

"She fell..." The teenager replied, cradling the bard's bloody head on her lap, while getting irate. "Don't just fucking dawdle! Get help!"

Pandemonium ensued as every servant ran to seek a Corinthian guard or medic for the wounded storyteller. Unbeknownst to them all, the shard on Gabrielle's ring glowed.

To Be Continued...